Spirituality and health: problems during pregnancy and postpartum and their consequences in women and children's life trajectories (Salta, Argentina)

This article addresses the relationship between health and spirituality through the analysis of narratives of illnesses that occur during pregnancy and postpartum and that affect women and children in rural communities of Molinos (Calchaquí Valleys, Salta). It is based on research carried out from 2009-2017, in which 33 semi-structured interviews were conducted with women caring for children under six years of age. We focused on the way in which the interviewed women presented the sequence of events surrounding the emergence of illnesses affecting their own health and that of their children, in which organic, emotional and spiritual aspects interact in both the etiology of the illness and its treatment. We analyze as an example susto [fright] and its variations, as well as recaida [relapse] and matriz [womb]. The meanings attributed to these illnesses stress the spiritual dimension involved that justifies the use of traditional medicine resources. Our approach seeks to go beyond a taxonomic and essentialist perspective to focus on aspects involved in the process of the experience of illness.